Lindsay

I do not support your point at all. I think ballet is missing out on new audiences (and outside of the ROH/Christmas Nutcracker remember it is very hard to sell out ballet in the U.K.). I think the current audience is much smaller than it could be (and ageing and not regenerating itself) because of the dated attitudes and stereotypes. I am very happy to see dancers who look like human females rather than the current Russian trend for stick-thin clones.

I don’t think you speak for all “people here” dance fan. Ballet is one of the least “woke” (some might call it respectful by the way) of the major art forms. To the extent that I often go to the ballet alone whereas I would never hesitate to bring friends to the theatre or concerts. I am still stinging from inadvertently taking a shocked friend to a Bolshoi performance several years ago which contained blackface……

With respect Ondine we do not know this is what was concluded. It is possible that they just did not have sufficient evidence at the time to act on.

It's not the most subtle PR tactic. In fact some might call it comically unsubtle...........

I think (as discussed already in this thread) there is often a difference between "what we say" and "what we actually do in practice"....

What I hope is that there is some attempt at honesty and providing safe and confidential channels for current students to express any concerns they might have. What I fear (which is what happened with some of the music schools) is that staff informally rally students to defend the school against “attacks” by ex-students and “outsiders” and portray all criticism, however justified, as “harmful to the current students”…

You could also message @BBCMarkDaly the BBC reporter who led the investigation on Twitter. Alternatively @DinoNovicelli of Leigh Day, a solicitor acting on this, is collecting information about a list of schools he has set out on Twitter.

Richard, for an example of how these things play out in practice you might be interested in reading this blog written a few years ago by a father of a pupil at one of the two schools discussed last night, who struggled through the complaints process at great damage to himself and his son. The Governors in the end upheld his complaint but excused the staff behaviour on the grounds that they had found this parents' complaints "scary" https://www.balletdadblog.com/the-blog

Richard you have a very naive faith in the power of 'systems' and written policies. Inspectors are neither omniscient nor infallible and the scope of their enquiries are necessarily extremely limited.

This is absolutely right. DrDee do you know whether any of the vocational schools have adopted (or been asked to adopt) the "Safe Teaching Practice" Guidelines from the Checklist on the Safer Dance website? They look eminently sensible and remind me of a similar set of guidelines devised in the wake of the specialist music schools scandal (which aimed to stop unsafe practices like teachers giving lessons in their own homes, touching students without consent, using inappropriately sexualised language with the excuse that it reflected their 'passion' for the music). There was a big push amongst the community of musicians campaigning for change to get institutions to commit to following those guidelines. It seems to me that would be a very good focus for any communications/petitions people wanted to address to ballet schools (although I'm sure Safer Dance will have thought of this already!)

With respect Stephanie M, I think with a 9 year old with no experience of vocational school you should not be effectively 'parent-blaming' those who have had teenagers damaged by this system. Look for example at Rubyfoo's post, which shows a parent with their eyes wide-open doing everything they can to sensibly protect their child. The problem isn't that teenagers are concerned about letting down their parents. It is that very bright, dedicated hard-working teenagers are (in many cases correctly!) decoding the destructive steps that the schools want them to take in order to 'succeed'. It is the system that is sick - not the parents!

It’s never the case that it’s alright to treat children (they are children) in a cruel and abusive manner just because it is a small percentage of students (which all of the comments here and elsewhere suggests that it is not). The number of children cruelly treated by adult professionals into whose care they have been placed should be ZERO

There is also a difference between the 'ultimate' body dancers will have as an adult professional and the developing body they have as an adolescent. It is very common for weight to fluctuate during puberty and the schools would do well to take a longer term view and work with the bodies before them rather than trying to force the 'end-product' at a stage where abnormally low weight can have a knock-on effect for later bone health or fertility. Dance education needs to refocus on the distinction between students and professional dancers - they are not the same thing.

This is absolutely the case and they make no attempt to hide it. I was once part of an invited group to watch a first year class at Upper School and one young man did more pirouettes than the teacher had asked for and was yelled at and sent to sit out the rest of the class on the floor in the corner. The fact that the teacher and the other school staff in the room saw no issue with embarrassing a student like that in front of strangers made me wonder what they hell it was like ‘behind closed doors’

With due respect for your experience Capybara I think those who are not selected in the first place for whatever reason are a different case from those who find themselves among the “chosen few”, move away from home at a young age and then have their dreams and often their sense of self-worth broken down by the system which is supposed to help them reach their fullest potential. And I don’t accept that “kids were more resilient in the past”. They were often broken and suffered in silence, and in many cases engaged in self-destructive behaciour. And in other cases replicated the bullying behaviours as teachers themselves.

That is a shockingly insensitive thing for any adult (let alone a teacher with professional duties - assuming that is who it was) to say to any teenager. And the fact they continue to think it appropriate is a problem.

What would be really powerful here would be for a 'successful' company dancer who has been through these schools and perhaps been subject to these very dubious methods of 'instruction' or witnessed other students being subject to the same to speak out about their experiences. That way there could be no allegations of "sour grapes". But that would take a lot of bravery because dancers are always in the hands of the 'ballet establishment' for casting and promotion. Even when they retire many are looking for jobs as coaches or teachers. That is the dynamic that maintains this awful status quo within the British ballet 'monolith'. And it is not just about body image. It is about a culture where all students except the chosen few are, for whatever reason, written off as 'failures' in their teens. The damage that can cause is not easily removed.

This is absolutely it. The schools are linked to the companies who ARE the dream. And for most they are also boarding school. Also, at grammar schools you don't spend hours every day with your growing and changing body dressed in a leotard and tights in front of mirrors, teachers and all of your peers........

I couldn’t agree with this more as an audience member myself. But I have two concerns about whether this will actually drive change in classical companies. The first is the “regular” audience for classical ballet, perhaps those who see only/mostly ballet and not other forms of dance. There, both in theatres and online, one often overhears or reads direct or indirect criticism of dancers’ weight. The second is the online world which many young dancers (and potential future audiences) inhabit, on YouTube, instagram and even tumblr, which still widely fetishises the worst trends for thinness and extreme flexibility within Russian ballet or some of the more extreme US institutions - for example each class of Vaganova graduates is discussed as if they were heading for the NBA draft. This immersion tends towards preserving and reinforcing a tradition that I agree with you should be consigned to history.

I think what is different about “elite” specialist schools like RBS or Elmhurst is that they can act (or claim to act) as gatekeepers to the very small world the students dream of entering. A state school teacher can’t threaten you with being shut out from your chosen career and there is always another school you can go to. With selective ballet schools the schools hold the power. Unless you have the financial resources to train privately/overseas you have few other routes in. Which is why the schools must be made to exercise that power responsibly.

Indeed, deference and complacency seem very prevalent at all levels of the top institutions. Accompanied with a heavy dose of self-satisfaction from people whose powers of understanding often seem very limited….. And schools (perhaps especially those isolated in the middle of parks…) often seem to lag companies in their adaptations to modern reality and values. The 1990s opera house documentary showed Anthony Dowell having to explain to a shocked White Lodge teacher that it was ok to cast an Asian student as Clara (when that was a children’s role)

I also think it is very ill-advised of these schools (both of which have let cameras in on many occasions when they could be sure a flattering picture would emerge) not to engage with Panorama beyond a few very defensive statements. Much more confidence would be engendered in the parents of future applicants if they went on camera to say that they were undertaking a root-and-branch overhaul, (including compulsory training for all teachers no matter how prestigious their own dancing career) on how to best combine the provision of elite classical training with an overriding principle that student physical and mental health must always be prioritised. It is clear that the schools are thinking only of reputation management and trying to limit liability for potential lawsuits. That is exactly the same knee jerk reaction we saw from the specialist music schools when multiple stories of abuse at several of those institutions came out a decade ago - my family was personally involved in that mess and it took years to unravel but the schools were subsequently roundly criticised in a national inquiry and had to settle many lawsuits from former students. The arrogance and complacency of governors and leaders of those schools giving testimony to the inquiry was shocking and sadly I am seeing real echoes of that attitude in these responses from ballet schools.

Absolutely. Although it was my comment originally, everyone of course has different preferences. I also loved McRae as Oberon and really enjoyed his performance in Rubies a few years ago. I just think that this particular princely role, without many 'character' moments to build upon (not even the yearning solos that come in Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty) requires calm and clean technical precision (rather than the cheeky-chappy, big personality roles where I think McRae shines). The Act 2 solo is deceptively difficult and of the casts I've seen so far only Muntagirov really made it look tidy, musical and easy. Even Matthew Ball, who must be at the peak of his technique, looked to be 'muscling' his way through some of the jumps.

I also thought Lamb danced beautifully and was a very touching Cinderella, particularly in the kitchen scenes. Bennet Garside was also I thought a decent elder sister - witty without being quite so OTT as the first night cast. I find it hard to write about this cast with much enthusiasm though because (sadly) I thought McRae miscast as the prince and it was extremely distracting..

Yes. I have (greedily) seen three jesters now and Joon was not quite the tidiest but he was by far the funniest. Much appreciated!